Subtle betrayal in Nepal

By K.N. Pandita – Indian Ministry of External Affairs is getting exposed inch by inch in its handling of Nepal crisis. In the first place New Delhi was never clear whether it should tow the line of monarchy or of people in Nepal.

With its dubious role in Nepal over several decades in the past, India provided space to the Chinese as well as Pakistani intelligence agencies to fish in troubled waters.

For three decades in the past, Kathmandu has become the hub of ISI’s anti-India conspiracies. No wonder, therefore, many fundamentalist-terrorist leaders based in Pakistan, Bangladesh and other Islamic countries, could very comfortably meet and plan in Kathmandu with impunity and obviously with tacit knowledge of the Indian and Nepalese intelligence outfits. In particular Kashmir separatist leaders met with their mentors all over the world in Kathmandu not once or twice but throughout the decade and half of insurgency in Kashmir.

Never did New Delhi lodge a serious protest with the Nepalese government against the use of Nepalese soil by anti-India elements. Is there a nexus between the Indian and non-Indian intelligence groups? Are the corrupt Indian super agencies minting money through this nexus?

Dr. Karan Singh went as Prime Minister’s special envoy to the Nepalese monarch and sold New Delhi’s prescription to him. On his return he said the ball was then in the court of SPA. But the first announcement of King Gaynendra was immediately rejected by the SPA and Maoist leadership. The monarch was forced to come on air and announce resumption of the parliament, the second sop. New Delhi welcomed the announcement. This was a shameful betrayal of its earlier stand on the position of the Nepalese king.

This betrayal is precisely what New Delhi had done with Maharaja Hari Singh of Jammu and Kashmir. I will take up that story sometime later.

The Maoist leadership has outright rejected the second offer as well and is sticking to 12-point agreement with SPA with the essential clause of establishing a republic of Nepal. Obviously, the situation is heading to a disastrous collision or a civil war, which neither the King, nor the parliament nor New Delhi can find means to avert.

This is going to put New Delhi is very embarrassing situation. The fact is that New Delhi has been suspecting Maoists as the handiwork of the Chinese and Pakistani intelligence. It would like to stand apart and let the Maoists be challenged by their own compatriots despite many physical and logistical odds against them. Indian intelligence would not recommend disabling and defusing conspiracies through recognized instruments just because that would deprive them of getting their palms greased.

What India is following is neo-colonial policy in Nepal meaning divide and go to dogs. It is no hidden truth that the Nepalese Maoists are closely connected to the Indian Left. That is a fact which prompted Sitaram Yechuri to come out with his four – point formula for resolving Nepal crisis.

North Block was quick to call a cabinet meeting to discuss Yechuri’s plan and without making any announcement, it recommended that the formula is supported and passed on to the beleaguered Nepalese monarch through its ambassador in Kathmandu. The King, in classical term is catching at a straw.

This means that apart from fomenting fragmentation of Nepalese civil society into pro- and anti-Maoists groups, New Delhi is using Indian Left as a lever to bring covert pressure on non-Maoist alliance called SPA now headed by Koirala.

In this cold-blooded game of neo-colonialism, New Delhi is oblivious of serious consequences of Nepal situation getting out of control. The first and foremost outcome of this disastrous policy will be an immense boost to Naxalite insurgency in the eastern and some southern state of India.

It is curious that some myopic commentators in the country are trying to be alarmists in telling the government that ISI would fish in the troubled waters of Kathmandu. They are not prepared to tell the truth that it is the neo-colonial policy of New Delhi which is going to become counterproductive and could lead to very grave consequences. The writer is the former Director of the Centre for Central Asian Studies, Kashmir University.